By Amy A. Ross As a kid, Brianna Matthews liked movies. A lot. Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Matthews would spend hours and hours of her childhood watching movies while her mom worked. “Instead of hiring a babysitter, my mom would drop us off at the movies for a double feature and pick us
Category: Student Profiles
By Amy A. Ross Seth Zimmerman decided it was time to go back to school after about a decade navigating the media and entertainment industries with professional success, but without the personal satisfaction he longed for. A life-long theatre aficionado, Zimmerman was involved in theatre in high school. However, when it came time to pick a field
By Jacob Nelson Sarah Bergeson grew up close to Disney World, and its proximity seems to have worn off on her. The Northwestern theatre graduate is interested in pursuing a career in a very specific kind of performance: the kind that goes on at theme parks like Disney. “Your audience is right in the middle
By Jacob Nelson While majoring in Creative Writing for the Media at Northwestern as an undergraduate, Zachary Hyman wrote and revised one hour-long television script and one half-hour script. He also learned about what goes on behind the scenes to get a television show produced. It was while working as an intern, first at a
By Amy A. Ross Dance has been a part of Aleksa Narbutaitis’ life since she learned how to walk. Throughout her childhood, high-school and college years, she explored everything the dance world had to offer: ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip-hop, lyrical, folk, and even ballroom dance. “I was always involved in dance performances… Dance and
By Jacob Nelson Gloria Coulanges began her writing career studying journalism at Rutgers University before realizing she was drawn more to mediums that allowed for creativity and drama. “I just like telling stories, and doing it for film and television is something I would like more than newspapers,” Coulanges said. Part of the appeal of
By Amy A. Ross The media world in which Cameron Kong grew up looks very different from the one she has come to explore in the United States. “As a Chinese student, when I hear the word ‘media’ I think of Hollywood or Broadway, but also of television and news. But I don’t have a
By Jacob Nelson Benjamin Levine took an unconventional route to jumpstart his creative career. He joined the Israeli army. After graduating in 2011, he moved to Israel and soon found himself driving a tank. “That was a very transformative thing for me in a lot of ways,” Levine said with a laugh. A couple years
By Jacob Nelson Some overachievers will double major in college. Maris O’Tierney decided to triple major. The new MSLCE student studied vocal performance with a focus in opera as well as political science, and art history (with an architectural history concentration) while she was an undergrad at Northwestern. The fact that these majors are so
By Jacob Nelson Krystal Zheng’s parents thought she’d grow up to be a professional musician. They sent her to a private music school when she turned five, and she fell into a routine of singing and piano practice. It wasn’t exactly what Zheng had in mind as a life’s pursuit, but it wasn’t far off